To Commend and Encourage Faithful Teaching of Article on Which Church Stands or Falls

RESOLUTION 5-10

President’s Report, Part 2 (TB, pp. 21–31)

WHEREAS, “By works of the law no human being will be justified,” but God has given His Son into human flesh, to bear our sin, so that all who believe in Him may be “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:20–25a; John 3:16-17, 6:40; Acts 10:43; Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16, 3:8–11; Titus 3:7); and

WHEREAS, The clear teaching of the Gospel, that we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, was restored with brilliance by the almighty God through the Reformation and is beautifully articulated in the Lutheran Confessions: Augsburg Confession (AC) Article IV; Apology of the AC, Article IV; Smalcald Articles (SA), Article II:13; SC II; Large Catechism (LC) Part II; Formula of Concord (FC) Epitome (Ep)/Solid Declaration (SD) III); and

WHEREAS, This concentration on sinful man and the God who justifies is Lutheranism’s greatest contribution for all of Christianity since the doctrine of justification reminds us that sinful man has always defied God and abused and misused His goodness and His gifts—and that the justifying God alone can and does re-create His fallen world by His word of forgiveness; and

WHEREAS, The gospel of justification is always directly connected to the external Word—to the Law in which God speaks against me and the Gospel in which He speaks for me; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) emphatically holds such teachings on justification by its unreserved acceptance of the Holy Scriptures as the written Word of God and the only 1 rule and norm of faith and of practice and its confession that the entire Book of Concord contains true and unadulterated teachings of Scripture; and

WHEREAS, The LCMS has reiterated with certainty its commitment to this understanding of justification by adopting the Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod in 1932 (“Of Faith in Christ,” Chapters 9, 17–19); and

WHEREAS, Justification, as an article of faith, is often described as “the article on which the church stands or falls” because a failure to teach it rightly results in human beings trusting themselves, rather than God, for their salvation; and

WHEREAS, False teaching about justification is a recurring problem (e.g., in popular preachers who favor a “how to” theology of successful living, in those who deny the justification of all the world [objective justification], or in those who confuse justification and sanctification) that may lead people to trust in themselves instead of in God, who alone justifies (Rom. 8:33); and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) 1983 report Theses on Justification (http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=422) provides helpful clarity about this central teaching of the Christian faith; therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS reaffirm the centrality of the doctrine of justification for the life of the church and the salvation of individuals; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS reaffirm that the right teaching of justification requires the proper distinction between Law and Gospel; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS affirm that the CTCR’s Theses on Justification is in agreement with Scripture and the Confessions and encourage the Synod to use them as a resource in the study of the doctrine of justification; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS in convention encourage the study of the doctrine of justification by circuits and congregations as part of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation; and be it finally

Resolved, That the LCMS ask the CTCR, in consultation with the seminary faculties, to prepare a biblical and confessional study of the doctrine of justification for use by the congregations and called workers of the LCMS for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

[The estimated cost to implement this proposed resolution appears in the Report of the Finance Floor Committee – found in Sunday’s issue of Today’s Business.]

FCname

CTCR

Resolution

5-10

Title

To Commend and Encourage Faithful Teaching of Article on Which Church Stands or Falls

Enter Your Comment or Opinion

EXPLANATION OF SCORING MECHANISM

The scores for each Resolution are an attempt to predict which resolutions are likely to attract the most attention at the upcoming convention.

SCORE RANGE: 1-5, where 1 = low and 5 = high

SCORING CATEGORIES
L = Likelihood of adoption. For example, Commendation Resolutions are usually easy to pass, so would score 5.
S = Strengthens Doctrine & Practice. Is the Resolution faithful to Scripture and our Confessions? Does it entrench them?
F = Strengthens Walking in Fellowship. Does the Resolution enhance Synodical values?
P = Synod Priority. What is the priority of the Resolution for the Synod, especially with reference to S&F above?
X = Executable. Does the Resolution have a realistic goal? Can it be achieved with measurable results?

SCORE
The final score is based on weightings (see below). A low score means the Resolution is likely a pro-forma matter. A high value means it is likely to be contested.